


From the Very First Moment I Saw You

by fields_of_falafel



Series: The Misadventures of the Modern Hams [15]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Banter, F/F, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, Prom, Wedding, Worried Parents, cool dad alex, cool girlfriends lucy theo and marie, eliza is such a great mom, french lesbian, getting married at 2 am, i had to include a lafayette do you blame me, little kiddies - Freeform, mother hen eliza, other hamilkids, tired dad john, why can i never think of tags, worried siblings phil and angie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-26
Updated: 2016-06-22
Packaged: 2018-06-04 16:40:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6666262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fields_of_falafel/pseuds/fields_of_falafel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Alex Jr comes home with his girlfriend, or sorry, wife, on his arm the rest of the Hamiltons don't know how to react.</p><p>You don't need to read 'And Then There Were Three' to read this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Wedding

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place a little while after the end of 'Then We Were Three' (which I haven't finished at this point in time) and centers on the third Hamilton child, Alex Hamilton Jr. You don't have to read that to read this. 
> 
> For simplicity's sake, since everyone is named after each other (and it doesn't help that Alex Jr married an Eliza) this is how people are going to be referred:
> 
> Alexander Hamilton: Alexander  
> Alexander Junior: Alex  
> Eliza Schuyler: Eliza  
> Eliza Knox: Eliza or Lizzy  
> Elizabeth Holly Hamilton: Beth  
> Older Philip: Philip  
> Younger Philip: PJ  
> Angelica Schuyler: Angelica  
> Angelica Hamilton: Angie
> 
> i promise it's easier to tell them apart than it sounds  
> also there's a tad bit of french in this and i'll put that down in the end notes

Alexander Hamilton Jr. had been in love with Eliza Knox since the first day of sixth grade. She had walked in, beautiful black hair waving in the chilly New York wind and then flashed a smile at him in homeroom. From that point on, he was a goner. He’d spend the next four years wooing her and sending her flowers and leaving notes in her locker until she finally agreed to go on a date with him. Alex, having spent the better part of four years thinking about this, had the perfect date planned. And, of course, since they were fifteen years old at the time, the date went the complete opposite of what he’d imagined. Either way, he walked Eliza home with an embarrassing amount of popcorn butter on his newly-cleaned dress shirt and kissed her goodnight. Or, rather, she kissed him, buttery lips and all. Alex supposed that was the moment that he truly fell in love with the doe-eyed black-haired girl he’d met in homeroom one day. The dates continued after that night, each one less embarrassing than the last and each one filled with more kisses. Soon enough they were holding hands in the high school hallways for everyone to see and he’d kiss her before she went off to class. The first time he introduced Eliza to the rest of his family they’d immediately accepted her (much to Alex’s relief) and Mama Eliza (as she was soon to be called) made a big dinner for all of them. Though, it helped a lot more that Eliza accepted that he had three parents and definitely helped dinner be less awkward. When Alex got his license, after a hearty clap on the back from his dad of course, he’d immediately driven to Eliza’s home and they’d gone out for a night under the stars where some rather more than PG-13 things had happened. Their relationship was the relationship that a lot of their friends envied, since it seemed like they were on a completely different level of understanding than the rest of the adolescents. They knew each other like no else did and could read each other’s thoughts as if they were their own. Eliza was the perfect girl for Alex and Alex was the perfect guy for Eliza, and that was that.

So, when there were three couples left at the senior prom and Alex popped the question, why wouldn’t Eliza respond with, “Why don’t we get married right now?”

“What do you mean get married right now?” Alex asked, confused.

Eliza smiled and extended her hand. “Why not? I mean, we’re engaged now.”

“So you’re saying yes?” He grinned expectantly, and Eliza placed a kiss on his forehead.

“Of course I’m saying yes, you big doofus.” Eliza paused to wrap her arms around him. “Now, we should definitely get married.”

“Shouldn’t we be engaged for more than five minutes before we get married?” Alex asked, still just a little hesitant.

“Do we need to be engaged for more than five minutes?” Eliza raised an eyebrow with a wide smile.

Alex smiled back, warm and full of passion. “Eliza, babe, you’re always full of the best ideas.” And with that he slipped the ring on her finger and took her hand in his.

“Shall we go get married?” Alex asked, leading her out of the empty ballroom.

“I believe we shall.” Eliza giggled and rushed after him.

An hour and a half later they were standing outside of a wedding chapel at just after one in the morning, along with one other exceptionally drunk couple who kept making advances at each other. They walked inside quickly, to see a brightly dressed priest and two yawning witnesses standing just inside.

“Ah, so you two want to get married! Welcome, welcome, come in!” The neon-colored priest beckoned them in, and the two of them at this point were just a little too drunk to second-guess their decisions.

“Yes!” They said in unison, holding hands like the true romantic couple they were.

“Come right this way, my friends, there’s just some information we need to fill out.” The priest waved his hand and ten minutes later they were standing at the front of the church together.

“Do you, Elizabeth Anna Knox, take Alexander James Hamilton to be your lawfully wedded husband?” The priest asked, looking expectantly at the eighteen-year-old who had a wide smile on her round face.

“I do.” She meant it.

“And do you, Alexander James Hamilton, take Elizabeth Anna Knox to be your lawfully wedded wife?”

“I do.” He meant it.

“Then you may kiss the bride.” If it had been anyone but them, it may have looked like two animals lunging at each other, though it was ever so slightly classier. They didn’t break apart for nearly a minute, until the priest cleared his throat. They looked at him like they’d done something wrong, but he just handed them a piece of paper.

“Have a good evening lovebirds.” And with this, he sent the two newlyweds on their way. They left the chapel with huge smiles on their faces and hand-in-hand, even while driving. Alex drove them to the nicest hotel within a mile radius and checked in for the night.

The receptionist may have looked at them strangely, but they didn’t notice it. They were too drunk on alco- love, that is. They went up eleven floors and arrived at their room, 1113.  
“Here, Mrs. Hamilton.” Alex picked up his wife bridal-style and unlocked their door with only minor difficulty. He set her down on the bed in the middle of the room, with her giggling and smiling the entire time.

“Thank you, Mr. Hamilton.” She pulled the sides of his jacket down so that he could meet her for a kiss, which soon turned into just a little more than a kiss. This is how they spent their wedding night, completely wrapped up in each other and not giving one thought to the outside world.  
That is, until the following morning.

Unbeknownst to the two newlyweds the entire Hamilton house had been freaking out over the disappearance of John, Eliza and Alex’s third kid. Eliza had been the first to truly notice, at just about midnight.

“Alexander?” Eliza had called into the study, where her husband was dutifully working on some essay about the effects of higher taxes.

“Yes, dear?” He replied nonchalantly.

“Have you seen your child?” Her mind was spinning with a hundred scenarios, and none of them were good.

“Which one? We have like ten.”

Eliza rolled her eyes. “We only have eight-”

“only-” Alexander buts in.

“-and Alex hasn’t come home from prom yet.” Eliza finished, crossing her arms over her chest.

At this Alexander finally looked up at her. “It’s only midnight, babe, prom might not be over yet. I’m sure he’ll be home soon, don’t worry.”

Eliza wasn’t so sure. “I’ve texted him and he hasn’t answered. Something could be very wrong, Alexander.”

The elder Hamilton shrugged. “He’s eighteen years old, he doesn’t always answer to his mom.”

Before Eliza could continue Alexander said, “He’s probably just having a little fun with his friends. Didn’t you stay out just a little late on prom night?”

Eliza blushed just a little and stared down at her feet. “Maybe.”

“See? He’s just having fun. He’ll be home soon.” He stood to wrap his arms around her and pull her in for a quick kiss.

“Maybe we can go have some fun?” He raised an eyebrow and she laughed, closing the door behind the two.

John was woken up around 1:30 a.m. in their bed with Eliza staring over him worriedly.

“’Liza? Wh-what’s up?” He blinked a couple times, rubbing his eyes.

“Alex isn’t home yet.” She told him in a very worried tone.

“What’re you talkin’ ‘bout? He’s in ‘is study.” John murmured, trying very hard to stay awake.  
“Not that Alex, Alex Junior. He’s not back from his prom yet.” John’s eyes popped wide open and he sat up on the bed rather quickly, surprising Eliza.

“You’ve called him, texted him?” He asked.

“Yes and nothing. Not even a ‘read’ notification.”

John cursed under his breath, threw on a shirt and walked downstairs with Eliza. Alexander was pacing in the kitchen, a rather bad habit he’d had since they were in the army.

“Have you tried calling Philip or Angie? See if they’ve seen him? Or even little Eliza?” The three had taken to calling Alex’s girlfriend ‘little Eliza’, which was something that had happened soon after she’d been introduced to the family.

“We called Phil already, neither him Theo or Lucy have seen him.” Eliza answered. Alexander was now running his hands through his hair, which was most definitely not a good sign.

“And Angie?”

“Her and Marie haven’t heard anything either. Both of them told us to keep them informed.” Eliza answered again.

“What if something horrible happened? What if it’s like Philip when he got shot? What if they’re both dead? Eliza? John? What happens then?” Alexander was panicking. Ever since Philip had been shot over two years ago Alexander had been positively paranoid, especially if his kids wouldn’t pick up the phone.

“That’s very unlikely, Alex, it’s going to be okay.” John wrapped his arms around the shorter man, so as to stop his relentless pacing. Eliza was standing in the corner of the kitchen, trying hard to not resort to her old habit of biting her nails when stressed.

“Hold on, I’ll call Philip and Angie again and tell them to call some of Alex’s friends. Then I’ll call Angelica and ask her if he’s shown up at her place. Okay?”

Alex and Eliza just nodded.

“What’s all the noise down here about?” Fifteen-year-old James walked downstairs, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“Go to sleep, hon, everything’s fine.” Eliza moved to usher her fourth child back up the stairs, but he stopped.

“No. I want to know what’s going on.” He crossed his arms and stared directly at his fathers and mother, who were in various stages of nearly having a breakdown. Alexander was still restlessly pacing the floor while John was leaning against the counter, caught between staring at his phone and at their son. Eliza was still staring at him with her concerned ‘mom eyes’, silently pleading for him to go back to bed but looking utterly helpless at the same time.

John’s the first one who answered. “Has Alex texted you at all?”

James looked confused. “No. Why?”

“He hasn’t come home yet.” Eliza answered worriedly, turning to look at the door, as though she hoped her son would come through it at any moment.

James, unlike his parents, looked completely unworried. “Don’t worry too much, Ma,” he said nonchalantly, “Him and Eliza probably got a shitty hotel room and are just doing what teenagers do.”

“Language.” Eliza tutted, but there was no real threat behind it. “And even if he is out with little Eliza he should tell us.”

“Don’t stress yourselves out,” He told the three of them, grabbing an apple from the fruit basket and taking a bite, “They’ll be home in the morning. Here, I’ll even wait with you guys.”

“You should really get to bed, kid.” John told him.

James shrugged. “I’ll be awake, keep me informed.”

John nodded and Eliza pulled him in for a hug. Alexander gave him a somewhat comforting smile, though he was too busy thinking of too many scenarios which his second son could be involved in.

James, with one last look, climbed up the stairs back to his room.

John called Angelica first, who picked up on the third ring and said that even though she hadn’t heard anything from Alex Jr. she was on her way. He then called Philip again, who picked up on the second ring.

“Any news?” He’d asked immediately, only to sigh after John said that they still couldn’t get in contact.

“Me, Theo and Lucy are on the way over. Do you guys need anything?”

John said no and hung up a moment later. He called Angie, who eerily said nearly the exact same thing that Philip had.

“I’m on my way with Marie, I’ll see you in ten. Do you need anything?” Again, John said no.

“They’re all on their way?” Eliza asked. John nodded.

“With all their girlfriends too, I imagine.” Alexander piped up. Both Eliza and John turned to stare at him. They knew Alexander was terrified of losing his family, which is why up to this point the two had stuck very close to him. Now, though, he seemed to be rationalizing and trying to lighten the mood. John and Eliza slipped their hands into his and squeezed comfortingly. He was quick to squeeze back, but he nodded with a thin-lipped smile.

About three minutes later is when the doorbell rang and Angelica walked in, looking completely professional even though it was 2:12 a.m.

“Did Alex say that he was going to go anywhere after prom?” was one of the first questions she asked after making sure the trio was seated in their living room and freaking out just a little bit less.

“He brought little Eliza by and we took pictures and he said that he’d be home before one, but he didn’t say he was going anywhere after prom.” Eliza kept glancing at the door as she said this.  
Angelica shook her head and took Eliza’s hands in hers. “Don’t fret, he’ll be home in the morning. Him and little Eliza probably ran off and are banging in-”

“Don’t say that about my child!” Eliza covered her ears and the other three shook with laughter.

“Like we weren’t doing the same?” John sent a knowing look at Alex, who just laughed.

“Like you weren’t doing the same, Eliza.” Angelica looked at Eliza, who blushed.

Alexander and John both raised an eyebrow, but Eliza was soon to say, “Back to my child who is missing.”

“He’s not missing, babe.” Angelica said. “He’s just out having fun and being stupid with his friends. You can punish him in the morning.”

“I hope he’s not being too stupid.” Eliza said as both Philip, Angie and their respective girlfriends barreled into the house.

“Any news?” Philip and Angie asked simultaneously. Angie tumbled in with Marie’s hand wrapped in hers and came to sit down on one of the couches. Philip, Theo and Lucy took another couch, so that they were all crowded around Eliza, John and Alexander.

“We haven’t heard anything.” John told them.

“Where could they be?”

“They should’ve called by now.”

“It’s not like him.”

“Oui, Alex is not this irresponsible.”

“Alright everyone, quiet down. There are other Hamiltons sleeping upstairs.” Eliza quieted down the frantic group, who stuck to muttering amongst themselves until one by one they slowly started passing out on the couches.

Eventually it was only Alexander, Angelica and Eliza left awake. Angie and Marie had curled up into each other a while back, being one of the first to go. Eliza tried to remember how long they’d been dating. A year and a half? Either way, both John and Alexander were very excited when their Angie brought home Marie Antoinette Virginie Motier de Lafayette, youngest daughter of their great friend. It was definitely a step up from Elizabeth Jefferson, second youngest daughter of Thomas Jefferson, who Angie had dated in high school. Now that girl was most definitely a piece of garbage, in Eliza’s humble opinion. Though her younger sister, Lucy, was ten times better than any Jefferson she’d laid eyes on. She knew that Philip and Lucy had dated for a brief time in high school, until Thomas found out and had her switched to private school. In private school, according to Lucy at least, her and Theodosia had had a fling, but had broken up because Theo moved back to New York. Surprisingly, all three of them ended up at Columbia, where Philip started dating Theodosia. The two had found Lucy one day and before they knew it the three were in a polyamorous relationship. Now their trio was piled on top of each other on a different couch, with Theo and Lucy’s arms slung over Philip’s torso, all softly snoring.

It was just after five a.m. early Saturday morning and all three still awake were going out of their minds. Not one call, or message, or even a twitter notification. Where could he possibly be? Another hour dragged by and John woke up, sleepy face melting into disappointment and worry after Alexander told him there was still no sign of Alex Jr.

It was nearing 6:30 so Eliza went into the kitchen and poured herself her standard cup of coffee, as well as two for Alexander and John and a bonus one for Angelica. They accepted it thankfully, each one of them taking turns to glance at the door. Eliza started making breakfast, thinking of a thousand different scenarios. What if this was Philip all over again? She couldn’t go through that again, but her mind was spinning in a thousand different directions. What if this ended up being worse than Philip? What if her son was lying dead somewhere, a bullet through his chest?

She was so worried she almost burned the eggs.

One by one her eldest children woke up and made their way to their breakfast table. Marie was one of the first to wake up, stumbling over the couches and muttering in French until she had a mouth full of eggs.

“Merci, mère poule.” Eliza smiled at Marie’s affectionate term and hugged her. Seeing as Marie had already made it to the table it didn’t take long for Angie to scoot over and start stealing food off of her plate. By 7 a.m. they were all seated around the table, including some of the younger Hamiltons.

In the middle of their hearty breakfast of eggs and toast was when they heard a key in the door. 

Immediately everyone went still, even two-year-old P.J. Everyone slowly turned their heads towards the door and heard the key jingle in the lock for a few (what felt like forever) moments before the door clicked and opened slowly.

And in came their missing son with his girlfriend in tow, sneaking in as if they hoped no one would see them.

The two stopped when they saw the crowd of people in the kitchen and both blushed shamefully. Eliza moved forward, angry mom mode on, with her hands resting on her hips and eyebrows raised.

The entire room was dead silent.

Little Eliza was the first to speak, saying “We can explain, Mrs. Hamilton, uh, you see-”

Eliza shushed her by putting up one finger and staring at her son’s girlfriend. “I don’t blame you, Eliza, don’t worry.” Eliza turned to look at her son, who gulped uncertainly. “I’d like him to explain why he was out all night without telling anyone where he was.”

Alex was quiet. He pressed his lips together to try to think of some answer and then sighed, shoulders slumping. “Well, uh, Ma . . . the thing is . . . me and ‘Liza . . . kind of-”

“Kind of what?” Eliza interrupted.

“Well,” Alex looked at his Eliza for a moment, who just motioned for him to go ahead and tell. 

“We, uh, we got married.”

For a brief moment it was dead silent, until it all burst into chaos.

“Married?”

“What do you mean married?”

“You’re barely eighteen!”

“Why would you get married?”

“Alright, everyone, quiet!” Eliza shushed the family and looked around. For once Alexander looked speechless and John just sat there, shocked. Angelica looked more pissed than anything, but there was a certain glimmer of amusement in her eye. The kids seemed more shocked than anything else, though it seems like Phil and Theo were exceptionally amused.

Eliza turned back to her second son with her face set in a hard line. “Do you mean to tell me-” Alex visibly gulped, “-that you stayed out all night, not bothering to text or call any of your family members and then you got married?”

“Uh, yes?” He meant for it to come out of a sentence, but his mind was muddled and he was confused.

It was then that Philip straight up burst out laughing, followed shortly by Theo and Angie and then Alexander. Little Eliza’s worried face calmed a little bit and Alex wrapped an arm around her.

“Alexander! We’re supposed to be parents here, knock it off.” John gently slapped his knee.

“Oh, come on John, this is funny!” Alexander replied, shaking with laughter.

“Alexander.” Eliza said sternly, turning to face her husband.

“C’mon, Betsey, there’s no true harm done. Don’t get me wrong,” Alexander turned to his son, “You should’ve texted us or called one of us to let us know you were staying out late, but,” He turned back to Eliza, “There’s no true harm done. They’re home safe, and more secure in their relationship than we thought.”

Eliza sighed. “Come on then, you two, I know you’re hungry.”

Alex Jr. brightened. “You’re not mad?”

Eliza let out a humorless laugh. “Oh, I’m still mad and you’re most definitely getting grounded, but you’re probably hungry and I want to hear what happened.”

Alex walked over to the table with his wife in tow to be met with a hearty clap from Philip. “Nice going, little bro.”

Lucy pulled little Eliza over to her and said, “At least you snagged the good one early.”

“The good one?” Philip piped up. “Are you saying I’m not the good one?”

Lucy shrugged without giving an answer and giggled, to which Philip rolled his eyes.

“I cannot believe that I missed my first child’s wedding.” Eliza had sat back down at the table, seeming slightly sad.

“Mom, you have seven other children that are probably gonna get married.” Angie told her, shoving another forkful of eggs in her mouth.

“Yes, but I missed the first one.”

“Eliza, babe, there will be plenty of other weddings.” Alexander told her, placing his hand on hers and patting.

“I know.” Eliza turned to look at her two eldest children. “I expect two great weddings, ya hear me?”

Angie looked plain uncomfortable while Philip just winked at his mom. “Honestly, I don’t think any of our weddings can be better than getting married at 2 a.m. by some guy in pink sunglasses.”

Eliza just glared at her eldest while she took a bite of her eggs.

“Alright, Ma, this has been great but me and Eliza are gonna head upstairs.” Alex had noticed Eliza’s yawn and suddenly realized that they’d been up too long.

“You know the rules. Leave the door open.” Eliza said, and John nodded.

“But Ma,” Alex grinned sheepishly, “We’re married.”

The entire table erupted into laughter, even Mama Eliza let out a little laugh.

“Go on you two. But no nasty business in my house!”

“At least if it doesn’t involve you.” Alexander winked and Eliza lightly slapped his hand.

“Bye, newlyweds!”

“Goodnight, lovebirds!”

“Don’t consummate too soon!”

Alex Jr. winked at his eldest brother before whisking Eliza off to his room, where there certainly wasn’t going to be any nasty business going on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading :D I actually began writing this before i wrote 'then there were three' and it's just been sitting around and i decided 'u know what?? it's time' so even though this might going a little bit off the beaten path i had a lot of fun writing it
> 
> French Translation:  
> mère poule: mother hen  
> oui: yes  
> merci: thank you
> 
> @alex jr why'd you have to go off and marry someone named eliza 
> 
> also why were there literally three names that just kept getting used over and over in the hamilton family??? original much??


	2. And If This Child

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex and Lizzie are surprised (in a good way and a bad way).

Eliza stared down at the stick in her hands, not knowing what to feel. It read positive, clear as day, but she couldn't believe it. It was too unreal.

Then, like a brick, it hit her.

She was pregnant.

She cupped her hands against her mouth, dropping the test. She was trying desperately to stop her joyful tears, but to no use. She'd always been the type to cry over stuff like this. God, she just, she couldn't believe it. In the past month her life has been completely transformed and now here was something else to turn her life around in some new unexplored direction. Ever since she'd gotten married to Alex a month ago her life had been completely changed. Her parents hadn’t responded too well to it, but she didn’t see them much anymore anyways. She spent most of her nights in bed with her husband. God, she loved saying that. Her husband. Sure, most people thought that they were going too fast, but Eliza didn’t mind. She was in love, and that’s all that mattered. In fact, over the past month she’d gotten very used to being a wife. It wasn’t too different from being just boyfriend and girlfriend, she noticed. She was still in high school, she still did her homework every night. The only true difference was that her drawer at Alex’s place was becoming increasingly full and she got to sleep next to him every night instead of having to go home. The most surprising part was how easy she fell into the routine and how she couldn’t imagine living without the daily chaos of the Hamilton home. The most confusing part being, of course, that there were three very different Elizas living under one roof. Sure, they called little five-year-old Elizabeth plain old Beth, she still turned her head every time Alexander or John called for Eliza with her in the room. They’d notice her looking and she’d blush sheepishly, while John or Alexander would usually send her a wink or a smile. Speaking of Alex’s parents, they’d adjusted quite well, considering the circumstances. Of course she already knew them decently well but they’d managed pretty well with them getting married and then her impromptu moving-in. Mama Eliza and her would spend a lot of time talking to each other, which they’d never quite done before. They had sweet and affectionate conversations and most of them ending with Eliza feeling ten times better than she had before. Her and John would have similar conversations, but they didn’t quite click the same way. She still loved him like a father, but it didn’t quite catch the motherly feeling she’d gotten from Eliza. Even Alexander had spent some time with her, most of that talking about Eliza’s political views and saying that initiation into the Hamilton family was extensive (and by extensive he meant egging Jefferson’s house, which both Alex Jr. and Eliza heartily participated in). She’d never felt more accepted and loved in a home. And now it was ten times better.

She rushed out of the bathroom straight into the arms of her husband, who stiffened for a moment before realizing it was her and wrapping his arms around her.

“‘Liza? What’s wrong? Why are you crying?” Alex’s voice faded from shock to concern.

“No, nothing’s wrong.” Eliza wiped her eyes and smiled, placing her hands on her husband’s cheeks. “You’ll never believe what I just found out.”

“Is it gonna make me cry?”

“No, you doofus! I’m pregnant!” Eliza grinned from ear-to-ear.

Alex’s eyebrows raised and slowly his mouth opened. “No way.” He breathed.

“Yes way! We’re gonna be parents!” Eliza was nearly shaking with excitement.

“Oh my god! We’ve gotta tell everyone!” Alex gripped Eliza’s hand and rushed out of the room, down to where everyone was eating breakfast.

“What’re you two so excited about?” James asked, taking a bite into a pancake.

“You stayed in all night so it couldn’t have been anything crazy.” Angie said sarcastic glint in her eye.

“We’ve got something huge to tell you.” Alex had caught Eliza’s excitement and was now barely able to keep his hands from shaking.

“Oh my, do I need to sit down?” Eliza joked, dropping into her chair.

“Hush, they’ve got something important to say.” John shushed the table, then turned to the two.

“You’re about to burst at the seams, so I’m either very worried or very excited.” Alexander piped up, taking a sip from his coffee and setting down his newspaper.

“Do you want to tell them or should I?” Alex asked, but Eliza motioned for him to do it. And so, with a wide smile Alex announced, “Eliza’s pregnant.”

The entire table burst into cheers, even with two-year-old P.J. joining in on the excitement, banging his tiny fists on the table.

“I’m going to be a grandma!” Eliza grinned.

“Holy shit!” Alexander gaped.

“More babies?” Marie looked up from her plate.

Within moments Eliza and Alex were engulfed in hugs from pretty much the entire Hamilton family, all congratulating and cooing over the unborn newest addition to the family.

“Do you want a boy or a girl?”

“What will you name it?”

“Does that mean I’m an uncle now?”

“Guys, guys,” Alex took Eliza’s hand while simultaneously pushing away the others. “A group hug doesn’t have to happen every time something happens.”

“My son, you’ve been apart of this family for eighteen years. I think you that group hugs are a necessary part of our day.” Alexander said, resting his hand on his son’s shoulder.

Even little Eliza pressed up to her husband and said, “I think I like it.”

At this Alex smiled and rolled his eyes. “Okay, group hugs it is.” The rest of the family took this as an invitation to crush the two even more than they had before, including little Philip who had somehow escaped from his high chair.

“Okay, that’s enough of a group hug there.” Alex Jr. said a moment later, taking Eliza’s hand and moving (with a lot of difficulty) out of the crowd.

“We’ll be right back.” He said to the rest of the family and dragged Eliza back to their room, closing the door behind him.

“What’s wrong?” She asked, scanning his face. He bowed his head, but she didn’t know what was wrong. “Alex?” She cupped his face so that he’d face her.

In a quiet voice he said, “I signed up for the military.”

Eliza was speechless. This wasn’t the plan. No, they were going to finish high school and Alex and her were going to go to college. Or, well, he’d go to college. She’d work and take care of the baby, probably. He’d already been accepted into Columbia, what was he thinking? The military was not part of the plan. 

“The military?” She repeated. Her mouth felt like a desert, and she looked around for a drink of water.

Alex ducked his head again. “I know I should’ve told you, but the counselors came by one day and . . . it’s what I need to do.”

“And you didn’t consult me at all? Or bother to tell me?”

“The paperwork only came back to me two days ago, I was thinking of a way to tell you.”

“We have a baby on the way now, Alex! You should’ve told me!” She was more hurt than mad, truly, but it didn’t seem that way.

“I’m sorry, ‘Liza, I didn’t know this would happen.”

“Alex.” There was more disappointment in that word than anything in their entire relationship.

“I’m sorry.”

The two stood quietly for a long moment. It was as though there was a wall between them, and neither one wanted to try to reach out to the other. Eliza studied her feet, her mind racing at a million miles a minute. How was she going to take care of a baby? She had a part-time job at a bookstore, she didn’t even have her high school diploma yet. She wasn’t ready for a baby, and she certainly wasn’t ready for a baby when her husband would be off God-knows-where fighting a war he didn’t have to fight. She’d be forced to go home, but she couldn’t go back there. After she’d gotten married without their approval they’d practically cast her out. If she went back and said she was pregnant and needed their help they wouldn’t give it to her. The Knoxes were too proud to have a teenage mother for a daughter. That left her with no options. She was on the verge of tears when she finally broke the wall, clinging to Alex. His arms were around her in a moment, comforting and familiar.

“How are we going to get through this?” She whispered against his shoulder.

“Don’t worry.” He pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

“What’s keeping you two?” James’ voice sounded from outside after a brief knock.

“We’ll be out in a minute!” Alex shouted back.

“Papa and Mom want pictures. Dad’s trying to stop them.” He told them and a moment later they heard him stomp back down the stairs.

“We’ll work it out, okay?” He kissed her head again, but she broke away.

“When do you leave?” She asked, finally looking up at him.

“August 1st.”

She sighed heavily, collapsing against his chest again. He wrapped his arms around her smaller frame and with two fingers rubbed circles at the base of her spine.

“I guess that we have to make the most of the next two months then.” She said with a fake smile, squeezing her arms around him. She pulled away again, still with the same fake smile. “Let’s go back downstairs.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading :D i feel like this is slightly confusing to read because of double elizas and if it is leave me a comment and i'll change it to lizzie 
> 
> also i originally wrote these different chapters as one-shots so that's why they're each a different idea
> 
> a lot of this is just tooth-rotting fluff so prepare yourselves it's gonna be fluffier than a sheep farm up in this place


	3. Mother Hen Intervenes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lizzy is nervous about her future and Eliza knows the perfect cure to her worries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just as a reminder Philip #2 is called PJ in this

“’Lizzy? What’s wrong, hon?” Eliza asked one morning, after all the children had gone off to school or to work and her husbands were off doing all sorts of political work. After everyone had left it was only the youngest, PJ, left sleeping upstairs and Lizzy sitting in the kitchen. A warm cup of coffee was in her hands, though it was considerably cooler than it had been when it was first made. Graduation had been a week ago, although most of the other kids were still in school. That left her with nothing to do all day except sit around the house, something she’d already started doing. She looked up when she saw Eliza, however, who looked the perfect TV-ready doctor/senator’s wife as per usual. She was dressed in a flowy blouse and mom jeans with a cup of coffee clasped between her newly-painted red fingernails. She was the picture-perfect mother and wife, Lizzy noticed. She was always relaxed, her make-up was never smudged and she never gave any hint that she was stressed.

“How do you do it?” She blurted out suddenly.

Eliza flashed that camera-ready smile and Lizzy sighed. “How do I do what, dear?”

Lizzy couldn’t find any way to articulate her thoughts and so she burst out, “Take care of eight kids but look so calm at the same time?”

Eliza smiled again, but it was different. It was a motherly smile, one that she’d never received from her own family. “You’re worried about becoming a mother.” She gestured towards the seat adjacent her and Lizzy nodded. She took her seat and leaned forward, setting her forearms and her mug on the table.

“Let me tell you, I was in the same place as you right after my marriage. I was living alone in this apartment me and Alexander had just bought while him and John were off fighting with General, sorry, President Washington. Shortly after the wedding, after John and Alexander had left I found out I was pregnant. My sister Angelica was off consorting with the political big wigs in France and England, my parents and the rest of my siblings were upstate, which left just me alone in the big city.”

“How’d you get through it?” Lizzy interrupted, squeezing the coffee mug between her fingers.

“I took a step back and looked at my options. I couldn’t get any immediate help, except for maybe calling my mother, but that wasn’t a real option. I could sit at home and wait around to have a baby, which wasn’t a real option either. That left me with one conclusion: I had a baby on the way, not a lot of money and I had to find a way to find for myself. So I did. I got a job and I took charge of my life. I was forced to not depend on anyone, so I didn’t.”

“And when the baby came?”

“By the time Philip came along the war was nearly over and my sister Angelica had taken charge of the situation. John was busy in South Carolina but Alexander would pop up to New York and see me some days.” Eliza paused here, shaking her head. “What I’m trying to say to you is that you’re not alone, and that you shouldn’t underestimate yourself. You are capable of much more than you give yourself credit for.”

A small smile crept onto Lizzy’s face and she stared down at her coffee.

“Don’t worry too much, little one. Me, Alexander and John have already settled that you’ll live here with us and we’ll all help take care of the baby once it’s born.”

Lizzy turned back up to Eliza with a beaming smile. “You’re serious?”

Eliza laughed for just a brief moment. “Of course we’re serious! You’re part of the family now, did you think we’d kick you to the curb once Alex left for the army?”

Lizzy grinned sheepishly. “Not exactly.”

“You’re a Hamilton now, whether you like it or not, hon. And Hamiltons don’t leave each other out in the dust.” Eliza softened up a little here. “Especially not the girl carrying my first grandchild!”

Lizzy looked down at her coffee again. “I honestly thought that you’d kick us out when you learned we’d eloped.”

Eliza smiled again. “I have to admit that I wasn’t the happiest mom in the world. I always thought that Philip or Angie would get married first, so I was a little surprised when you two came home the next morning and told us. But we’ve all known you for years and we all knew that you and Alex would get married someday, it just happened a little sooner than we expected.”

“And you weren’t mad about the baby either?”

“I was only a little older than you when I got married, and I had a kid not too long after. I’ve been in your shoes and I know how hard it is to be a new mother when you’re not ready. I wouldn’t get mad over something like that.”

“My own parents aren’t so forgiving . . . so, thank you.”

Eliza pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “You don’t have to worry about anything, I promise. As for your parents . . . they’ll come around eventually. Parents do that. We get worried and then we get angry but we eventually understand.”

“I hope so.”

Eliza smiled with just a hint of mischievousness hidden in her gaze. “Go get a shower and get some clean clothes on.”

Lizzy stared at her in confusion. “Why?”

“We’re going to have a girls’ day out. I’ll drop PJ off at Angelica’s and we’ll go out shopping and get our nails done.”

“You’re serious?”

“Of course I am! Go on.” Eliza ushered her upstairs when Lizzy hesitated for a moment. She honestly couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a girls’ day. Definitely not with her own mother and she hadn’t connected with any of her high school friends for weeks now.

Lizzy rushed upstairs with a newfound spring in her step and the most genuine smile she’d had on her face for what felt like weeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading :D lowkey i write all of this at like 3am when my mind is like 'u know what?? how about some fluff' also tfw u have two elizas and it's just like ??? which is which?? the world may never know
> 
> also what is eliza's job??? will i ever decide??


	4. Goodbye (For Now)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex leaves for the military.

“Do you have to leave so soon?” Eliza was wrapped up in her husband in their bed for what might possibly be the last time and she was terrified.

“I’d stay here with you if I could.” He told her truthfully.

“Then stay, please.”

“I can’t, Eliza, you know that. I need to do this.”

“I know.” They’d had a fight about this just a week ago, the kind of fight with yelling and door slamming and both of them regretting it when they finished. She understood why he needed to fight for his country. He’d always been desperate to prove himself, to be different and he’d found his opportunity. In his mind it made sense but when it came to Eliza . . . she didn’t want to understand.

“It’s not like we’ll never see each other again.” He tried to lighten the situation. “I’ll be home for Christmas and we can text and Skype all the time.”

“I’m being selfish, aren’t I?” It was more of a statement than a question, but he answered anyway.

“You have a right to be selfish.”

“No I don’t. You’re going off to do the most selfless thing a person could do and I’m here wanting to stop you because I’m going to miss you and it’s dumb.” She sniffled just a little. She didn’t want to believe that this day would ever come and now it had all jumped up on her unexpectedly.

“Hey now, it’s not dumb. You’re the mother of my child and I assure you that you are not dumb because you’re rightfully selfish.”

“Just promise me you’ll stay safe.”

“It’s only boot camp, ‘Liza, I’ll stay safe.”

“I know.”

“Alex! Lizzy! It’s almost time to go!” Alexander’s voice sounded up the stairs.

“Let me help you with your bags.” Eliza said as Alex hopped up out of bed.

“I’m not letting my pregnant wife carry heavy bags downstairs.” He told her, trying (and failing) to pick up both of his bags.

“I’m only three months and I’m perfectly capable of carrying things.”

“You are the mother of my firstborn child and I-”

“Alex.” Eliza had paused by the closed door with her eyes downcast and arms crossed across her chest.

Alex dropped his bag and looked up at her. She sniffled just a little and ran a hand over her eye. Alex’s smile faded from his face as he walked over to her and took her in his arms. “Hey now,” he said with a small squeeze around her middle, “It’s going to be okay.”

“Four months, okay?” He promised.

“It’s too much.” She burrowed her face into his chest like a child.

He sighed. “I know.”

She stayed there for a moment, relishing in the touch of her husband.

“I’m just-” She moved her face away from his chest, instead choosing to look at his face. “I’m just worried about the baby.”

“So am I.” 

“I'm scared, Alex.” She said in a quiet voice. 

“I know.” If he was being entirely truthful, he was scared too. For his entire life he'd been sheltered and safe. It was only the past few months that his life had truly changed and he'd come into something resembling adulthood. It was hard to think that just a year ago he'd been a high school student who partied with his friends on the weekend and had no real responsibilities. Now he was a husband and almost a father, and not to mention he was going into the military. It felt like his life had started too fast and for one moment he nearly regretted it. But then he looked down at his wife, his beautiful, loving, impossibly strong wife and he knew that this was right. If nothing else, he was doing the right thing.

“We're going to get through this.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. 

“I love you.” She murmured. 

“I love you too.” 

They stood there for a moment, both of them contemplating the future. This was the first time that they'd ever be apart from each other for more than two weeks. Even when they'd had their big fight junior year and did nothing but avoid each other they were over it within a week. When Alex went off on a trip to France in the summer between his freshman and sophomore year for a week and a half he'd texted and called her nonstop to make up for not seeing her in person. When they'd gone on the same trip the next summer, this time for three full weeks he'd taken Eliza with him. They'd been attached at the hip ever since Alex had asked her out freshman year. And now, for the first time they were going to be truly separated and if they were being honest, it terrified the both of them. 

“Come on, let's go downstairs.” Alex took her hand in his and with his bags in their hands they said goodbye.


	5. Christmas Is My Favorite Time of Year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas at the Hamilton house isn't the most peaceful time of year.

The Hamilton house, usually filled to the brim during normal days, was twice as bad during Christmas time. Or, as Philip had told Lizzy one morning, it was twice as good. The Hamiltons kicked off the holidays by decorating all three levels of the house, from basement to roof. Lizzy happily participated in this, as she’d never been in such a festive place for Christmas. Eliza had a very specific Christmas regiment, which she soon found Alexander and John just loved to mess up.

It started the day after Thanksgiving, which had been a mini-disaster in itself. The turkey had nearly burned, a table leg nearly came off and the in-laws had been, well, in-laws. Though, Hercules Mulligan had been a delight. He was an old friend of Hamilton’s, and she could tell that they went way back. She heard a snippet from Angie that he was the first person Hamilton had lived with when he’d come to America. Lizzy could understand why they’d been friends for so long, the man was amazing. Sure, he was in his sixties at this point and faintly reminded her of a grandpa but that didn’t stop him from cracking lewd jokes at the dinner table. He’d even taken a moment to talk to Lizzy and tell her that she’d married into a very good family. She responded that she knew and he smiled at her. It was a genuine smile, unlike the ones the in-laws had given her. At Thanksgiving dinner Hercules had been the one to crack jokes about Alexander, Eliza and John’s future grandchild. It was the Jeffersons who hadn’t taken so kindly, or rather, just Thomas.

Somehow, Lucy had convinced her dad to come have Thanksgiving dinner with the Hamiltons. No one knows how she did it, even less why she wanted to do it but somehow or another Thomas Jefferson showed up on the Hamilton’s doorstep at promptly five o’clock.

The Hamiltons had fallen oddly silent then, as no one was completely sure if he was going to show up or not. Even Lucy seemed surprised and quickly embraced her dad to soothe the tension. Aunt Angelica also welcomed him warmly, soon followed by ever-perfect host Eliza. This was soon followed by Alexander offering him a saucy comment, which was followed by Eliza’s Holiday Rules.

First, there was going to be no discussion whatsoever of anything related to politics.

Second, if anyone threw food, and this included Alexander and John, they would get no more food. (Lizzy thought this was incredibly savage, and she wanted to see how this had become a rule.)

Third, no one will insult Jefferson or Burr or their families. Eliza added that they were all nearly related and families do not insult each other. Both Alexander and John rolled their eyes to this, followed by dirty looks from Eliza and Burr.

Yes, Lizzy had noted with a hint of surprise, Aaron Burr had shown up for dinner with the Hamiltons. She’d never really met the man, although she knew he was the Vice President and she’d heard vague insults (or perhaps compliments?) thrown at him from either John or Alexander (usually Alexander). The entire time he’d been there, since about four or so, he’d down nothing but glance around the room and sip his drink. He’d engaged in some polite conversation with his daughter and his soon-to-be son-in-law and daughter-in-law but besides that he hadn’t said much by the time Jefferson arrived.

Somehow, the evening had gone smoother than expected. Of course Jefferson had made a few snide comments about the Hamiltons, but that war normal. Later on in the evening Jefferson also made a few side comments about his daughter having two nontraditional partners but they’d all been through the same argument so many times with him that everyone blew him off. Besides that, the evening was enjoyable. At least, it was more enjoyable than any Thanksgivings Lizzy had had with her own family. The only thing that was missing was her own Alexander.

When she made her way downstairs the next morning she found nearly every member of the Hamilton family lugging boxes up from the basement. Or really, Alexander, John, Philip, James and JC were lugging. The girls and their respective girlfriends were standing off to the side, sipping coffee and watching their fiancees/spouses/future in-laws heave box after box. The only girl who was really pulling her weight was little five-year-old Beth, who helped JC bring up just one of the wreaths. Or, in actuality, JC brought it up but no one was going to mention that.

“Lizzy!” Eliza was the first to notice her and beckoned her over. She pulled her into a hug, which was slight awkward because of her seventh month pregnancy belly but they made it work.

“Why didn’t you wake me?” she asked, looking around at the pile of boxes in the living room.

“Oh, hon, you didn’t get to bed until two last night. I wasn’t going to wake you.” Eliza answered, passing her a cup of coffee. Eliza took the mug graciously and smiled at the older woman.

“One of your late-night phone chats with Alex?” Angie raised an eyebrow.

“Yes?” Alexander said, raising a hand to run his sweaty hair out of his face.

“Wrong Alex!” chorused all the girls save for Marie, who had given up a long time ago on Hamilton names.

“Eliza, please remind me why named our children after ourselves?” Alexander asked, stacking a red-and-green box on top of another one.

“It was your idea!” She told him.

“Not to mention two Philips.” Theo butted in with a look at Lucy.

“What you lack in naming skills you make up for in parenting.” Angie told her with a smile. They looked startling alike, Lizzy suddenly noticed. It was eerie.

“Even my dad isn’t that bad. True, he named Martha after Mom and he pretty much named me after Elizabeth, but at least it’s not two Philips.”

“Isn’t your full name Lucy Elizabeth?” Angie asked, slinging an arm around Marie.

“And Elizabeth’s is Elizabeth Lucille.” Lucy said with an annoyed huff.

“Okay, yes, but my dad literally named me after my mom. Do you know how painful it is to hear your dad call for Theodosia but you don’t know which one he’s calling for?” Theo had a pained expression on her face, probably reliving hundreds of times this has happened.

“At least my father is original.” Marie said, taking a sip of her coffee.

Everyone was quiet for a quick moment at this, until they burst out laughing.

“Your father named you after Marie Antoinette and Virginia and Georges after Washington. Not exactly what I would call original.” Angie was the first to say through her laughter.

“At least I am not named after my aunt.” Marie retorted.

“I think she’s named after a pretty cool aunt.” Angelica said from the stairwell.

Lizzy would never understand how Aunt Angelica never looked out-of-place. Even now she wasn’t dressed in pajamas like nearly everyone else. No, she’d already showered and dressed in casual jeans and a loose blouse. Her hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail. She could rival Eliza when it came to being calm and ready under pressure.

“I didn’t know you were still here.” Eliza said, embracing her sister.

“I had to duck out to take the kids back to John’s.”

“What?” John yelled from the living room.

“Wrong John!” Angie yelled back.

“Oh. Okay!” All of the ladies in the kitchen stifled their laughter.

“Can’t your kids drive themselves?” Eliza asked.

“Phil took a taxi from the airport and Kitty and Elizabeth didn’t have a ride.” That’s right, Lizzy remembered, Angelica’s eldest was also named Philip, despite there being an outrageous number of Philip’s in the house. Not to mention she’d named her youngest daughter after her sister. Trying to remember everyone in this family and their names and their relationships only gave Lizzy a headache.

“So they’re staying at John’s for the weekend?” Eliza asked.

“Yep. They wanted to spend some time with their dad and he’s stateside now.”

“And what about Martha and Maria?” Eliza asked, glancing towards the stairs. Right, Lizzy remembered, Angelica was still technically married to John Church but she was in a poly relationship with Martha Manning and Maria Reynolds. Yes, the very same Martha who was the mother of John’s only non-Hamilton child and the very same Maria who Alexander had cheated on Eliza and John with. Angelica had basically saved her from her abusive relationship with her ex-husband James. Now, thankfully, he was in jail. Lizzy didn’t know the exact details but Maria had joined Angelica and Martha about six years ago, even though Martha had been with Angelica for well over fifteen at this point.

“They’re still asleep.” Angelica gestured upstairs.

Eliza’s eyes flitted towards the stairs and back to her sister.

“All the boxes are out!” Alexander stomped into the kitchen, followed by an equally sweaty John. He looked like he was going in for a kiss but Eliza gently pushed him backwards.

“You stink.” Alexander looked offended.

“That’s mean, Eliza, I just heaved a ton of boxes up here with my own two hands and now my-”

Eliza took the time to pull John to her and press her lips to his. John turned around and gave Alexander a smug look.

“This is just plain rude.” Alexander pouted. Eliza just winked at him.

“I want you four to go shower, because you all reek.” Eliza was gesturing towards the showers and the four in question, Alexander, John, Philip and Jamie, all looked like showering was the last thing they wanted to do.

“Come on Ma, I don’t smell that bad.” Philip tried to convince her.

“Yeah, you do.” Theo and Lucy said in unison, followed by a quick high-five. Philip stuck his tongue out.

Eliza turned back to Lizzy. “You’re lucky you married the one semi-mature kid in this house.”

“Hey, I’m mature!” John said, followed by Will imitating him.

Lizzy stifled her giggles and kept watching the Hamilton banter continue.

“Uh-huh, sure you are. Now go shower.” The four boys trudged towards the stairs, with Jamie making one snide comment under his breath before following his fathers and brother up the stairs.

“Now, ladies, this is where our job begins.”

Eliza put everyone to work, including little PJ. They got out the wreaths and hung them up on the doors, they put tinsel on the stairs, they got out their Christmas dishes. After the boys showered they went to go get the Christmas tree (yes, Lizzy noticed, they were  _ that _ family) and came back in less than an hour with a ten-and-a-half foot tree that hardly fit through the door. This was Lizzy’s favorite part of the day by far. In her parent’s home they got one shitty electronic tree that they pulled out of the garage and plugged in. Her family had given up on Christmas a long time ago, and she never knew why. For the past couple of years she’d been the one to plug it in. This is another reason she loved the Hamiltons: they took advantage of every holiday. Although, she couldn’t help but wonder if her parents had gotten around to plugging in the tree.

The entire month of December passed in a blur. One day she was going out shopping with Angie, another day she was out buying baby things with Eliza, and even on another day she was getting manicures with Theo, but most of the time she was talking to Alex.

He wasn’t sure yet if he could come home for Christmas, but he would try to. She tried not to be disappointed. Most nights she stayed up talking with him for several hours. He’d been transferred to a base in Oregon, making him three hours behind her. It wasn’t uncommon for her to stay up until three or four in the morning talking to him, usually about what the other was doing and about the baby. Alex was always excited to hear about her, and they’d spent hours talking about just the baby.

Before she knew it, Christmas Eve came and all of the Hamiltons and their relatives were sitting in the living room. Lizzy was squished between Lucy and Angie, who she’d become fast friends with. Theo was on the other side of Lucy, hands intertwined, while Philip was lying with his head on Theo’s lap. Marie was sitting on the floor between Angie’s legs. The two of them only made Lizzy want her Alex more.

She’d been texting him all night and more than once she’d received teasing from one of the Hamiltons (usually her fathers-in-law) about how her generation never puts down their phones. Lizzy responded by sending passive-aggressive emojis to both of them.

For some reason, Alex had stopped texting her about twenty minutes before, leaving her on ‘read’. She tried not to be bothered, even though it was unusual for him. He rarely ever stopped texting in the middle of a conversation.

“Texting Alex again?” Angie glanced over.

“I’m trying to.”

“Huh.” Angie tried to hide a smile from her face and failed. Lizzy side-eyed her.

“What does that mean?”

Angie looked away. “Nothing.”

Lizzy looked over at her again but didn’t say anything else. Out of the corner of her eye she saw 

Angie mouth something to her mom, but from this angle she couldn’t make out what it was. She saw the knowing look that Eliza gave her daughter, though, and she didn’t know what to make of it.

Just then, her phone lit up with a text from Alex.

_ private benjamin: merry christmas eve babe i’ve got a surprise for u _

A mere second after she received that text there was a knock on the door. It couldn’t be. There was no way it could be.

“Hey, Lizzy, I think maybe you should get the door.” Angie said with a wink and a smile.

She let a smile creep onto her face as she hauled herself to her feet. She walked, or rather, waddled fast to the door. She didn’t hesitate to fling the door open and found herself face to face with her husband.

He scooped her up into his arms easily and she hastily pressed kisses to his cheeks, his nose, his lips. 

“Jesus Christ, you’re big.” He mumbled, dropping her back down to the floor.

“It’s called being pregnant, you asshole.” She told him, but there was nothing mean behind it. 

She was too happy to see him.

He kissed her again. “Okay, but, you’re big.”

Lizzy raked her eyes up and down his body. “You’ve gotten bigger too, but not exactly in the same places.” She looked at his arms, and it seemed like they’d doubled in size since she last saw. They were mostly covered by his army basic uniform, but she’d felt them when he picked her up.

“You can thank the Army for that one.” He said, shamelessly pulling up his sleeves.

“Alright, son, no need to show off.” John was the first to embrace Alex in a hug, followed by Alexander.

“Don’t crowd the boy, he just got home.” Angelica called from the living room. There was no point, half of the Hamiltons were already moving towards him and embracing him in greetings and hugs.

Fifteen minutes later they’d all more or less managed to get back in the same spots they’d been in before Alex had knocked on the door. The only difference now was that Alex was sitting between her legs.

“Babe?” Lizzy tapped the top of her husband’s head.

“Uh-huh?” Alex craned his neck to look up at her.

“You’re an ass.”

This was met with several different ‘oohs’ from Angie and Philip, even Jamie chiming in.

“How very rude.” She lightly banged her knee against his head.

“You told me you weren’t coming home.” She said accusingly.

Alex smiled cockily. “I know.” Lizzy rolled her eyes. “But aren’t I a great Christmas present?”

“We’ll see about that.”

Then Angelica’s husband started asking Alex about his training and it was all downhill from there. By 10 Eliza began putting the little kids to bed.

“Mom, do we have to?” William whined.

“You want presents from Santa, don’t you?” Eliza asked and he nodded reluctantly.

“I heard that we have to stay up all night to get presents from Santa.” PJ said.

Eliza smiled. “Who’d you hear that from?”

PJ pointed to Philip, who’d gone to hiding behind Theo.

Eliza put her hands on her hips and faced her eldest. “Philip?”

“No comment,” came the muffled reply.

Eliza rolled her eyes. “There’s too many damn lawyers in this house.” She stared directly at her husbands.

The two responded by smiling cheekily as she led the three younger kids upstairs, with the laughter of the rest of the family in the background.

The rest of the night passed in a blur, and it wasn’t until very early Christmas morning that everyone retired to their rooms.

It was a little after one in the morning when Lizzy found herself next to her husband for the first time in four months.

“I missed you.” She said so quietly that he almost couldn’t hear her.

He tightened his arms around her. “I missed you too.”

She rolled over to face him, which was just a little bit difficult because of her baby bump.

“You’re going to stay safe, right?” She whispered.

He smiled and kissed her forehead. “Nothing will happen to me, I promise. We have the next two weeks together before we have to worry about that.”

Lizzy looked down, resting her hands on her bump. “I’m worried.”

“I know.”

She cuddled closer to him, as if squeezing her arms around him would make him stay forever. She knew that in two weeks’ time he’d be deployed and they wouldn’t be able to see each other for months. She knew that he’d miss his child’s birth, possibly even her first birthday. No one knew how long he’d be gone. “We’ll be okay.” He kissed her forehead again and pulled the covers around them. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading :D I realize I've been updating this sporadically but updates will be moved (again) to every tuesday, so i'll have this finished in a couple of weeks
> 
> now that i'm not in school i'll be updating other works in this series about every 2-3 days so if you like this there's going to be a lot more of it. in other words, we're just getting started my friends
> 
> anyway i hope you guys have a great week (and if you still have finals to take good luck on those)


	6. Catharine

Eliza had never expected this day to come. She’d never expected to get married so young, she’d never expected to get pregnant, and she’d definitely never expected to hold her infant daughter in her hands.

She was so small, her nose, her fingers, her toes. And she was hers.

The entire day was so busy with Hamiltons running in and out, besides the fact that she actually gave birth. The Hamiltons being insane was something she’d actually bargained for, but birth? That was insane. So, she was eternally thankful when it finally became quiet that night.

The first thing she did when it finally quieted down was Facetime Alex. Her mother-in-law had called Alex earlier and told him but she hadn’t been able to talk to him since yesterday.

His face lit up when he saw her, and his mouth started running a mile a minute.

“How did it go? Is it a boy or a girl? Are they healthy? Do they have a name? Did we talk about names?”

Lizzy laughed. “Yes, she's healthy.”

“She?” His eyes were as wide as the moon. 

She nodded. 

“I have a daughter?” He said it slowly, like he didn't believe it. Lizzy didn't believe it either. 

“We have a daughter.”

“We have a daughter.” He repeated, testing out the words on his tongue. 

There was a content silence between them for just a brief moment as they both pondered what this meant. 

“What's her name?”

“Catharine.” She said with a smile. “After your grandmother.”

“Oh, God. That’s beautiful.”

“I thought you’d like it.” She’d come up with dozens, possibly hundreds, of different names for her, had spent months agonizing over the decision, but the moment she’d figured it out was December 26 th , when Catherine Schuyler came to visit her daughter for Christmas.

“She has the Schuyler eyes, like you do,” she said, “and your nose.”

“Can I see her?”

“I’m  _ technically _ ‘not supposed’ to get out of bed, but yes.”

Alex rolled his eyes and made a remark about her staying in bed but she shrugged him off. She made her way over to the basin where her baby slept and quietly showed him her sleeping form.

He was quiet for a long time.

“She’s got your mouth.” He said finally.

She smiled, suddenly aware of the corners of her lips.

“She’s got more Hamilton in her than Knox, I’m sure.” Eliza settled back into bed.

Alex smiled. “I hope she turns out more like her mother.”

She let herself blush and she saw his smile grow. He’d always liked flattering her.

She yawned widely and Alex plainly noticed. “Go to sleep, baby. It’s been a long day.”

“I wanted to talk to you.”

“And you did. I’ll talk to you in the morning, I swear.”

She yawned again. “Mm’kay.”

“Kiss our daughter good night from me.”

“I will. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

* * *

 

The first three months of baby Cat’s life was the worst and best of Lizzy’s life. She had a mental list of pros and cons that she’d made, even though she knew that some of the cons were really just pros. The cons, of course, being that she got approximately four hours of sleep every night, she  _ still _ hadn’t lost all of the baby weight, and that Alex still hadn’t seen his baby in person yet. Following that, the pros were that she had a child, she was cute, and she was hers. In her opinion, the pros outweighed the cons.

Ever since Cat had been born, she’d met nearly every member of the Schuyler family, even some distant cousin of Eliza’s who’d popped up one day and heard that Eliza had a grandkid. Apparently everyone got together when someone had a baby. Speaking of Eliza, she wasn’t even the most excited to have a grandkid. Surprisingly, it was John who’d fawned over Cat since day one.

John loved having little babies around the house, something about ‘it made him feel young’ and he was taken with Cat since the moment she was born. Obviously Eliza and Alex loved her too, and they were a giant help with her, but they were nothing compared to John.

Another Hamilton who was taken with Cat that was definitely a surprise to Lizzy was little PJ. Since she’d come home with her he was the one who’d been begging to hold her and to play with her. Trying to tear him away from her was like a mother from her child. Besides Alex, of course, he was her biggest fan.

Speaking of Alex, he’d been the one who hadn’t stopped texting or calling her since the moment they talked in the hospital. He was infatuated with his child and refused to be separated with her even though he was halfway across the world. She was constantly sending him pictures and videos and Facetiming with the three of them. He couldn’t get enough of her.

The months passed quickly, the routine continued. Wake up, feed Cat, text Alex, try to shower and get to work on time, fail, text Alex, text John to see how Cat and PJ were doing, come home, text Alex. She fell into a pattern and slowly but surely she felt herself become less of a nineteen-year-old and more of an adult.

Christmas came and passed and Lizzy found it much fuller than it was the previous year. Phil, Theo and Lucy had had their twins and Frances came to visit with her wife and their son, making the living room much more cramped than it was earlier. Though, there was one notable absentee: her husband. She couldn’t blame him, he’d done his best but it just didn’t work out. She tried not to be disappointed.

Cat’s first birthday came in February and again, Alex couldn’t make it. The rest of the year passed in a blur. Lizzy started taking night classes and began saving up money to move out. She loved them to death, but she refused to rely on the generosity of the Hamiltons forever.

Cat grew quickly. Before Lizzy knew it, Cat was walking and talking and developing her own personality. No matter what Alex had wished, she was a true Hamilton, through and through.

Another Thanksgiving and Christmas passed and Cat continued to grow, but so did Alex. Every time she saw his face there were more lines in it. War was taking a toll on him, and she just wished he’d come home. Come home to his wife and his daughter.

“Do you know when you’re coming home?” she asked him one night after putting Cat to bed.

“I don’t have an exact date, but early next year for sure. That’ll be when my two years are up.”

She smiled sadly. “Tell me when you know, okay?”

“Don’t be sad, Lizzy. I promise I’ll come home in a couple of months.”

“You know this is the longest we’ve ever been separated?”

“I know.” He sounded tired.

“Hey baby, I’ve gotta go. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“Kiss Cat good night from me.”

“I always do.”


	7. Homecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex comes home.

“Is everything ready?”

“Yes, Lizzy, things have been ready for hours. Just sit back and relax.” Lucy said, munching on a bag of chips.

“I _can’t_.”

“You’ve spent so much time with the Hamiltons you’re starting to become one.” Angie said from the opposite end of the couch.

“Technically, I already am.” She sat down on the couch between Angie and Lucy and tried to calm herself.

“Seriously though, you don’t need to be so on edge. It’ll be fine.” Angie rubbed a hand on her shoulder.

“I haven’t seen him in _two years_ , Angie! Two years!”

“That’s a lie, you talk to each other every day and you skype for at least an hour a day.”

“That’s different.”

“It’s something, though. It’s not like you haven’t talked for two years. He’ll walk through that door and it’ll be like nothing ever changed.”

“I’m not so sure.” Lizzy was one part excited, two parts nervous. Talking with Alex recently had been . . . different. He was more distant, and she was to. They’d become different people since they’d last seen each other. Lizzy had become a smarter, more independent mother and Alex had been shaped by war. He simply wasn’t the man she’d married three years ago.

“Look, you two have been perfect for each other since middle school. You two will find your way back together, don’t worry too much.” Angie smiled.

What did she know? Lizzy thought. Her and Marie hadn’t been apart since the day they met. They should try two years of not seeing each other and see how their relationship fares then. She immediately regretted it, thinking like that. One side effect of not being with her husband was that she’d grown bitter about other relationships. She pushed her jealousy down and smiled at Angie.

“You’re probably right. I’m worrying about nothing.”

“Trust me, it’ll be fine.”

“Why don’t you go check on Cat?” Angie said when Lizzy didn’t respond. “She’ll be excited to see her dad for the first time.”

“She’s upstairs playing with the twins and PJ, she’ll be fine. Plus I want to make it more of a surprise for her.”

“Here, you’re on edge. Have a chip.” Lucy offered her chip bag to Lizzy. She rolled her eyes but grabbed a handful.

“Thanks. And I’m not on edge.”

“You’re quite literally shaking.”

“Shut up Angie.”

Eliza popped into the living room just then. “Alex just called, his plane’s about to land.”

Lizzy popped up to her feet. “I’m ready to go if you are.”

“You got this.” Angie said comfortingly.

“Go get your man.” Lucy smirked.

Lizzy grabbed her bag and went upstairs, grabbing Cat. She protested a little bit, since she was in the middle of playing with the twins but as soon as she said that they were going for a car ride she was putty in her hands. Five minutes later they were in the car, headed for the airport. Eliza was driving, because both of them knew that she was shaking too much to be able to drive properly.

A half hour after that they were walking into the airport with Cat on her hip. Her daughter was plainly confused, but intrigued because she’d never been to an airport before.

Alex had just landed, and was getting off of his plane as they walked inside. She went directly to his terminal, and had to stop herself several times from breaking out into a sprint. With every step she took she grew more excited. One more step and she’d be with her husband. One more step and she’d have him in her arms. One more step and they’d be a family for the first time.

Eliza had her hand on her shoulder while they waited, and she was getting more and more nervous with every passing second.

Cat was getting impatient, since she was two and only wanted to play with toys. Even Lizzy telling her that there was a surprise could barely tide her over. At this point, Lizzy didn’t care if Cat started screaming, if Alex came through those doors.

She felt like she was going to explode. She was on her tip toes, looking out over the crowd, desperate for just one glimpse.

And then there he was.

God, he looked so much better in person. The shape of his face was more refined in the light, instead of over fuzzy video camera. There was the faintest bit of stubble on his chin, he probably hadn’t shaved since yesterday. And best of all, there was a smile on his face.

She didn’t even know she was running until she was in his arms again. They were together again, their own little family. Her, Alex, and little Cat.

She was so happy that she pretended not to notice how tense he was when he hugged her, or how apprehensive he was when she handed Cat to him. All she focused on was the smile on his face.

It wasn’t different. They’d make do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i meant to post this yesterday but i was so busy (and lowkey was at a p!atd concert so there's that) but thank you for everyone who's read this far and liked it honestly i love you all so much and appreciate everything u do for lil ol me


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